YAOI REVIEW: THE HOURGLASS BY ITOSHI AND ALDARIA

The Hourglass
Story/Artist: Itoshi/Aldaria
Publisher: Yaoi Revolution
Pages: 56
Reviewer: Sandra Scholes

Synopsis:
A new BL/Yaoi comic from the novel series Orochi no Kishi! Riding at midnight across the oppressive heat of the Great Salt Flats, racing team boss, Sadao Koga interrupts his mechanic in the garage who is welding in the nude again (with proper safety leathers, of course) and takes him on a moonlight ride up to a cooler mountainside hotspring for a 'break.' Wet, steamy and dreamlike, this encounter soon resonates of something much more powerful and symbolic of the coming time when both men will be forced apart to yearn for a distant reunion. Motorcycles, sweat and leather await! (56 pages - color cover, greyscale interior)

Review:
While the three novel Orochi no Kishi series are text based novels, The Hourglass is a manga set within the story of book 1 Orochi no Kishi where Mouse the mechanic is to help the team rebuild a classic 1968 Mustang for a race called The Overland. Mouse is hot and bothered when Sadao comes to see him, but in 2071 in the wastelands of the Great Salt Desert in Utah, Sadao spots his lover hard at work on the Mustang - in the nude. Sadao's nickname for his lover is Konezumi, Mouse, while the tattoo on Sadao's back is based on the Orochi, an ancient Japanese mythic serpent with eight heads like the Hydra and acts as the emblem of his clan. Sadao takes Mouse on his bike to a deserted location for some well earned downtime, an old resort that has been closed for many years. His intention is that they can take a dip in the underground part of the river, lit up by floodlights.

The Hourglass is a small instance of time where Sadao and Mouse have some time together before the drama of what happens next. As a reader, it is easy to get involved in the characters as they have depth. While everyone in Sadao's clan respects him deeply, bows to him, Mouse is the opposite, he's tetchy, annoyed and doesn't mind telling him how he feels. Sadao in turn has enough to worry about in  his day to day dealings with others, so he sees Mouse as his guy to chill-out with. There is a real love there, and I felt that The Hourglass is a great way to sample a manga before investing in a three part novel series. Here the characters speak for themselves as it is part story, part excellent graphic novel where the truly graphic is in the sex scenes. Sadao is well drawn and very well-endowed. It is a romantic as well as sensual story of two people from very opposite lives who stay together against all the odds.

As a bonus there are two pages at the back called Notes where Itoshi and Aldaria share what they did together as a writer and artist combo team with highlights on the characters and amazing storyboards, this is the perfect accompaniment to the Orochi series.

The cover is in sepia tones with Mouse hugging his lover and boss, Sadao Koga. The tattoo of dragons on Sadao's back signifies his link with the Orochi clan as its leader. While Sadao seems thoughtful, Mouse stares at the viewer with a look of intoxication. It is a wraparound cover with an image on the back of a ship in stormy seas, while on the front the couple are on bedsheets that meld into the sea to make a rather interesting scene.

The manga is A4 in size (210 x 297 Inches) and boasts large panels of detailed artwork that leave the reader gasping for more. This manga is also designed for reading the Japanese way, right to left.

Summary: Take an unlikely pair, a sexy story and erotic art and make it into one of the most promising releases of 2015 - and you will get The Hourglass!